Facing reality, there's not much wind where I live. I'm often on an 8M Superfreak and it's not enough. I have a Hot sails 490 92% mast and I don't want to cough up for a 520 or 550 so the candidates are the 10M Hotsails Speedfreak rotational and the 9.5M Ezzy Lion 2 cam which should rig ok on the Hot mast.
Any other options? Sailworks Retro 9.5 I suppose.
My boom will work with both sails.
Speedfreak weighs 12 lbs
Ezzy Lion weighs 12.6 lbs
I weigh nearly 220 lbs @ 6'5"
Boards are Exocet Windsup 11'8", 2002 Starboard Free Formula 198L and a Starboard Go 155L, I have some really long fins for all these boards.
I'm thinking the cam sail may have a large advantage carrying me thru lulls with our holy wind.

I'm a bit lighter than you are but not that much and need big sails too.

I have a Kona One and the 9.0 Kona sail. It's quite light but it feels heavy in irregular winds because the center of effort moves around. The sail also has a tight leach, so it works quite well out of plane.

After much reading, I'm now decided on getting a cammed Ezzy Lion to complement the Kona. I will use it in slightly windier condition as I expect the Kona might plane earlier due to the limited twist on top of the sail.

But I expect the Lion to handle gusts much better, and feel lighter and more fun because of this. Once on plane, I expect the Lion to keep me on plane longer in the holes. I also expect to be confortable in more wind than with my Kona, before stepping down to my 7.5

Unfortunately, this is not first hand experience but I hope this helps anyway.

kona 9.0 sail does not feel so bad on the kona one. does feel pretty wiggly on a short board. i've also noticed that one should shift the boom higher in gustier conditions and move the base forward to compensate.

the daytona 9.8 is a really inexpensive version of the VMG of 2005 and prior. those were the days of non-double luff sails. double luff was another path that windsurfing took toward self destruct....

do cambered sails help one get through luffs? YES
since they do not change shape with wind changes
can they handle gusts? YES
you do have a leech
are they better in light winds ? YES

do I prefer cambered over non ? NOT necessarily !!!
if there is a wide luff and water is choppy, there is more of a chance the sail will get dropped - which means luff may fill with water = HEAVY
personally have never water started a large cambered sail, but i am just an average joe windsurfer - my buddy Georges does it - with tricks as he says

there are many free-race sails with 2 or 3 cambers
these typically have a narrow luff and can be more painful rigging with cambers on, but have all the benefits of a full on race sail

your sails and masts are more flex top oriented
you may need to stick with HSM , NP for maximum compatibility
with cambers especially match the mast to the sail

rig before you buy + try bigger sail if u can

so, what do i use at 100+ kilos in light winds ?
<12 knots = Mistral Equipe longboard with 8.x sail - cambered or not
12 knots = BIC Techno FreeFormula with 10-oh cambered sail
16 knots = not light wind and many more options

have also discovered last year that i don't really need that BIG sail n board to have fun in light, gusty, holey winds
with the longboard and 8.x sail (cambered or not) can plane and have a lot of FUN
that was a lot less of an investment in $$$
indoor storage not required for the old boards anyway
also have a Fanatic Ultra CAT that went well in less than ideal conditions
so, not just any longboard, but some classic race boards

in other words - a good longboard may be a cheaper and reasonable alternative (due to good glide) to getting a BIG sail, which may require mast too

snowing here today and so, looks like longer wait before we get back on the water ....

I have the Sailworks Retro 9.5 which rigs nicely on a Powerex 490 100%. SDM. I think it pulls harder than any cambered sail I've ever ridden, and
rides into strong gusts with aplomb. Not sure how it would work with a
longboard, but on a huge shortboard, It'll plane me up at 180lbs in
about 10MPH winds. If I were a big guy, I'd try and get a ride on one.
You'll never go back to a cambered sail.

-Craig

beaglebuddy wrote:

Facing reality, there's not much wind where I live. I'm often on an 8M Superfreak and it's not enough. I have a Hot sails 490 92% mast and I don't want to cough up for a 520 or 550 so the candidates are the 10M Hotsails Speedfreak rotational and the 9.5M Ezzy Lion 2 cam which should rig ok on the Hot mast.
Any other options? Sailworks Retro 9.5 I suppose.
My boom will work with both sails.
Speedfreak weighs 12 lbs
Ezzy Lion weighs 12.6 lbs
I weigh nearly 220 lbs @ 6'5"
Boards are Exocet Windsup 11'8", 2002 Starboard Free Formula 198L and a Starboard Go 155L, I have some really long fins for all these boards.
I'm thinking the cam sail may have a large advantage carrying me thru lulls with our holy wind.

I live in a light wind area, and I am heavier and slightly taller than you.

I personally, would suggest considering an alternative to buying a bigger sail if you are not going to invest in the larger correct bend mast for your new giant sail.

Light Wind Freestyle.

Go to an ABK clinic, and start to work on your skills in the sub-planing threshold winds until your 8.0 will get you planing. You will progress much quicker when the wind does arrive. It simplifies your gear choices at the beach and you will have to carry much less gear with you.

That said, I just looked at the HSM Speedfreak 10.0. Since it was designed for your mast, if you want to go bigger to lower your planing threshold and not buy a new mast, it is probably the best option.

Last edited by wsurfn1426 on Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:45 am; edited 3 times in total

I have the 10m SpeedFreak, sailed it a lot last summer, and it's a great sail. Yes, it will get you planing significantly earlier than an 8m Super Freak (I have one of those too, so worn it's like an old t-shirt). It is also easier to rig, goes upwind very well, etc.. For me, the best thing about the sail is not the low end, but the high end. It is comfortable to sail up until a time you need to step down to a much smaller sail - 6.5m or so. That means for me it's a one rig solution most of the time. I do not think it will get you planing earlier than the Ezzy sails, though. Douglas has reported very good experiences with his, and I have a friend who sails big Ezzys and I know they are quick (matched by the SpeedFreak, though). In fact, if you want to have the earliest possible planing, sail formula - use a formula-style sail and very big fin. I've been down that path and it didn't work for me (in ideal conditions, early planning but nothing else).

With your WindSUP, I would suggest the 7.5m SummerFreak as an alternative. Nope, not early planing, but much better glide speed at low cost, unbelievably quick rigging, no weight, ultra durable, great upwind performance, packs very small, and just really fun on a longboard. It can be very technical as well - keeps you on your toes; responds to very slight changes in foot position, trim, and the like.

Finally, I would say if you absolutely positively must rip it up in 7 knots, you are going to need to kite. That is the slightly painful conclusion I have arrived at. Hey, it's about the stoke, right - not what you have in your hands or under foot?

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